The fly blood-brain barrier fights against nutritional stress

Abstract

In the wild, animals face different challenges including multiple events of food scarcity. How they overcome these conditions is essential for survival. Thus, adaptation mechanisms evolved to allow the development and survival of an organism during nutrient restriction periods. Given the high energy demand of the nervous system, the molecular mechanisms of adaptation to malnutrition are of great relevance to fuel the brain. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the interface between the central nervous system (CNS) and the circulatory system. The BBB mediates the transport of macromolecules in and out of the CNS, and therefore, it can buffer changes in nutrient availability. In this review, we collect the current evidence using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model of the role of the BBB in the adaptation to starvation. We discuss the role of the Drosophila BBB during nutrient deprivation as a potential sensor for circulating nutrients, and transient nutrient storage as a regulator of the CNS neurogenic niche.